Yet another red flag fire weather warning has been issued for the eastern half of San Diego County, where the combination of gusty Santa Ana winds, low humidity and warm temperatures is raising the danger of wildfires on what has -- so far -- been one of the driest winters on record.

Forecasters say winds will gust to 45 mph, and possibly higher, in places like the Cuyamaca Mountains, Julian and Descanso. The relative humidity is expected to fall below 10 percent, and temperatures will reach the low 70s in many foothill communities. The warning will remain in effect until 8 p.m. Friday.

The special advisory comes as the county experiences a second unusually long warm spell that is expected to last well into next week, with temperatures ranging from two to 12 degrees above average in San Diego. The mercury will hit 72 on Friday. Normal for this time of year is 65. Lindbergh Field has yet to record a drop of rain this month. January is typically the second wettest month of the year, with an average rainfall of 1.98''.

Heavy surf continues to slam the coast. Waves will be in the 4' to 6' range Friday in South County, and 5' to 8' on Saturday. The waves will be a foot or so smaller in North County. Sea surface temperatures are in the 58-60 degree range.

Precip: Since the rainy season began on July 1, San Diego's Lindbergh Field has recorded 2.24'' of precipitation, which is 2.54'' below average. During that same period, Ramona has recorded 2.76'', which is 4.68'' below normal.